When will it stop..... God rest ye merry Advent wreath

I'm going to stop doing this. No really I am.  but I may spend the evening leafing through Carols for Choirs....... another Advent candle lighting song - to God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

We light an Advent candle to show us the way
to find the Christ child waiting in a manger on the hay.
The mothers and the fathers of our faith all point the way.
O glory to God in heav’n and peace on earth
O glory to God in heav’n.
 
We light an Advent candle to show us the way
to find the Christ child waiting in a manger on the hay.
The prophets foretold long ago that bright and glorious day
O glory to God in heav’n and peace on earth
O glory to God in heav’n.
 
We light an Advent candle to show us the way
to find the Christ child waiting in a manger on the hay.
“The Kingdom now is close” said John, “Believe, repent today!”
O glory to God in heav’n and peace on earth
O glory to God in heav’n.
 
We light an Advent candle to show us the way
to find the Christ child waiting in a manger on the hay;
For Mary mother of our Lord her “yes” to God did say
O glory to God in heav’n and peace on earth
O glory to God in heav’n.
 
We light our Christ-light candle to show us the way
And we have found the Christ child in a manger on the hay;
And now we raise our voices with the angel host to say
O glory to God in heav’n and peace on earth
O glory to God in heav’n.

In case I hadn't made this obvious I'm happy for people to use these if they are of any help at all.  I'd appreciate being credited if you do use any of the words on here. 

Sing Something Simple 2 - Away in a Christingle

Lots of Christingle songs are very long - and set to very bouncy (sometimes stompy) tunes.  Now I know everyone does Christingle differently - but for the last few years I've combined it with a crib service, twice, on Christmas Eve.  I don't know about you but when we've just revealed the nativity, arrived with awe and wonder at the manger - stompy and bouncy aren't the mood I'm after.  We used to light our candles, turn down the lights and sing "Hope of Heaven".  The grown ups didn't know it the first year we used it.  I could feel the wave of disgruntlement as I played the intro on the piano and they turned to look at words they didn't know.  The thing was, the children at our local Infant School had learned it. It was quite a thing as the children began to sing their hearts out.  You can find that here https://shop.childrenssociety.org.uk/digital-christingle-hymns-songs.html 

After a few years though the school's Christmas repertoire changed - and on the basis that I didn't want to be the only one singing the Christingle song, I couldn't find one online I liked, and I wanted to give the disgruntled some familiarity back - I wrote this to sing to Away in a Manger. 

Christingles are shining they show us the way

to understand all God is doing today.

They light up our darkness and teach us to give

that the blessings we know can help everyone live.

 

The world is the orange, creation God gave

for us to take care of and nurture and save.

The fruit and the sweets all good things the earth gives

to share all together so everyone lives.

 

The ribbon is Jesus, the life that he gave

He loves us so much he came back from the grave.

His love is a challenge to care for the poor

to pray and act always if we can do more.

 

Christingles are shining they show us the way

to understand all God is doing today.

They light up our darkness and teach us to give

that the blessings we have can help everyone live.

Sing Something Simple - The Advent Candles

Back into lockdown for the second time - and back to focussing on pre-recording worship to broadcast on YouTube and Facebook live. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDnuuwT-yGPu8EbkjpxlcWg?reload=9 

Planning our Advent liturgy I suddenly realised I needed a song for the lighting of the Advent candle that was simple, easy for folks to follow/pick up even if they aren't looking at a service sheet, and that I wouldn't feel like a complete fool singing on my own as I record the services on my own.

So there's going to be a few. This one is set to "Be still and know" which has an 888 metre. I've tried to keep it simple while making it week by week specific too (Patriarchs/Matriarchs, Prophets, John, Mary).  In another context I think I'd just sing one stanza a couple of times - or encourage singing is as a round. 

Advent 1
We light a candle on this day
We know the Lord is on the way
We know the Lord is on the way.
 
The fathers and mothers of our faith
Declare the Lord is on the way
Declare the Lord is on the way.
 
We light a candle on this day
We know the Lord is on the way
We know the Lord is on the way.
 
Advent 2
We light a candle on this day
We know the Lord is on the way
We know the Lord is on the way.
 
The prophets told the Christ would be
A king of peace for you and me
A king of peace for you and me
 
We light a candle on this day
We know the Lord is on the way
We know the Lord is on the way.
 
 
Advent 3
We light a candle on this day
We know the Lord is on the way
We know the Lord is on the way.
 
Believe, repent, the Kingdom’s near
Baptiser John told what is here
Baptiser John told what is here
 
We light a candle on this day
We know the Lord is on the way
We know the Lord is on the way.
 
Advent 4
We light a candle on this day
We know the Lord is on the way
We know the Lord is on the way.
 
For Mary mother of our Lord
You carried Jesus, Saviour, Word,
You carried Jesus, Saviour, Word.
 
We light a candle on this day
We know the Lord is on the way
We know the Lord is on the way.
 
Christmas Day
We light Christ’s candle on this day
We celebrate this Christmas Day
We celebrate this Christmas Day
 
With angels now we sing our praise
One with us yet born to save
One with us yet born to save
 
The bright star shines to show the way
The longed-for Lord is here today.
The longed-for Lord is here today.

More to follow - as I have just found last year's Christingle song to Away in a Manger!

Foundation Church - First reflection

In 2018 I was invited to be part of something called 'Foundation Church'.  My then Lay Reader in residence, Jenna, had been on placement at the local town centre civic church, in our diverse and busy university town. She had come away reflecting that surely not every young Christian who happens to come to Huddersfield University is of a conservative evangelical persuasion (though it seems most student Christians end up in such churches  - can't argue with great facilities, great music, great PR, great welcome  - and you can ignore the bits of theology you don't agree with for 3 years - heck - you might not even notice them).

Now you might think that's a little cavalier of me.  Maybe evangelical churches both within and outside the C of E teach their young people that church isn't just about place - your local Parish or other church as you grow up - which is why these are the young people who are seeking church when they leave home and go to Uni.  I take my hat of to that solid teaching and I think other traditions have learnt something from it and are getting better at it too.

I know this reflects my own experience of leaving home - when church became something I did when I was back home - and I wouldn't in a million years have sought out another church to make home.  I wouldn't go near the conservative evangelical dominated Christian Union, and back then I had no reason to believe that churches of a more central tradition were at all interested in young people  - I'd never seen it. But I know that a lot has changed in the nearly 30 years since then (gulp).

I am of a liberal cathomatic persuasion and have worked in churches who have a more traditional presentation but huge hearts for welcome.  My Lay Reader and I surmised over a glass of wine and a smoke that there must be students out there in our town who might be looking for something else, something both modern but rooted in inclusive liberal theology and catholic tradition.

This is the start of a longer reflection on this for me which is to do with planting new things, trying and failing, and more.

Years and years and years it's been. But why start a new blog when the old one is just sitting there gathering ether-dust?

It's May 2020 - there's a global pandemic.  I never want to hear the word 'unprecedented' again as long as I live.

I started a new job one week in to the lockdown which is supposed to help us get through this pandemic as well as we can. I'm now the Vicar of Huddersfield (yes - I rolled all the way down the hill to the town centre).  It's quite unusual to move jobs within the same Deanery but I'm absolutely certain that this move reflects God's continuing call to serve, and God's care for me and my growing family (I've become a grandma since we last spoke - and my oldest baby boy is now taller than me).

I'm doing some blogging on the parish website - in particular there's some 'getting to know you' stuff on the "Love in the Time of Corona" blog thread and some bits on their way on the "Stories of Song and Scripture" thread.

I think writing here might be a good idea - but I thought that the last time I was here - we'll see.